Oshakati residents pay up

Residents at Oshakati have heeded the call to pay their municipal bills.

The town council says the debt it is owed has gradually decreased.

Spokesperson Katarina Kamari says residents, business entities and government ministries previously owed the town over N$80 million in unpaid rates and taxes.

This debt has now decreased to about N$60 million as of 30 June.

“This is a huge milestone for the council and residents in embracing the opportunity and in continuing their commitment to honour their municipal accounts.

“It is important to note that these debts are subject to increase monthly due to non-payment,” she says.

Kamari says in an ongoing effort to ease the financial burden on residents, the town council has decided to continue its debt-relief incentive programme by waiving all arrears in municipal accounts.

“This measure forms part of the council’s commitment to provide relief to its residents, especially during these challenging economic times,” she says.

Last year, the council announced that all interest accumulated on municipal accounts will be waived.

Kamari says this decision undertaken by council was an effort to encourage the residents to settle their outstanding municipal bills.

“Most of the residents have settled their outstanding municipal bills.

The continuation of this exercise is the council’s way of assisting community members to meet their financial commitments without being overwhelmed by interest charges,” she says.